Make desktop updates less noisy and more truthful

The desktop updater now renders release notes as markdown, avoids fake 0%
progress when the server omits Content-Length, and remembers when the user
has dismissed a specific release prompt so reopening the app does not nag
again for the same version.

Constraint: Existing 0.1.4 clients can receive updater events without total size metadata and users still need a manual update path in About
Rejected: Keep repeating the prompt on every launch | creates avoidable noise after an explicit later decision
Rejected: Global dismiss flag for all future releases | would hide newer versions that should prompt again
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep prompt suppression keyed to availableVersion only; About page visibility and manual update actions must remain available
Tested: bun run test src/stores/updateStore.test.ts src/components/shared/UpdateChecker.test.tsx src/__tests__/generalSettings.test.tsx; bun run lint; manual local updater validation from 0.1.4 to 0.1.5 on /Applications and an extracted v0.1.4 release bundle
Not-tested: Signed and notarized macOS distribution behavior outside this local machine

desktop/src/__tests__/generalSettings.test.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import '@testing-library/jest-dom'
 
 import { Settings } from '../pages/Settings'
 import { useSettingsStore } from '../stores/settingsStore'
+import { useUIStore } from '../stores/uiStore'
+import { useUpdateStore } from '../stores/updateStore'
 
 vi.mock('../api/agents', () => ({
   agentsApi: {
@@ -69,6 +71,23 @@ describe('Settings > General tab', () => {
         useSettingsStore.setState({ skipWebFetchPreflight: enabled })
       }),
     })
+
+    useUIStore.setState({ pendingSettingsTab: null })
+    useUpdateStore.setState({
+      status: 'idle',
+      availableVersion: null,
+      releaseNotes: null,
+      progressPercent: 0,
+      downloadedBytes: 0,
+      totalBytes: null,
+      error: null,
+      checkedAt: null,
+      shouldPrompt: false,
+      initialize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      checkForUpdates: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      installUpdate: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      dismissPrompt: vi.fn(),
+    })
   })
 
   it('shows WebFetch preflight toggle enabled by default', () => {
@@ -91,3 +110,55 @@ describe('Settings > General tab', () => {
     expect(useSettingsStore.getState().setSkipWebFetchPreflight).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false)
   })
 })
+
+describe('Settings > About tab', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    useUIStore.setState({ pendingSettingsTab: 'about' })
+    useUpdateStore.setState({
+      status: 'available',
+      availableVersion: '0.1.5',
+      releaseNotes: '# Claude Code Haha v0.1.5\n\n- Fixed updater rendering\n- Added markdown support',
+      progressPercent: 0,
+      downloadedBytes: 0,
+      totalBytes: null,
+      error: null,
+      checkedAt: null,
+      shouldPrompt: true,
+      initialize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      checkForUpdates: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      installUpdate: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      dismissPrompt: vi.fn(),
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('renders release notes with markdown formatting', async () => {
+    render(<Settings />)
+
+    expect(await screen.findByRole('heading', { name: 'Claude Code Haha v0.1.5' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Fixed updater rendering')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Added markdown support')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('shows downloaded bytes instead of a fake zero percent when total size is unknown', async () => {
+    useUpdateStore.setState({
+      status: 'downloading',
+      availableVersion: '0.1.5',
+      releaseNotes: '# Claude Code Haha v0.1.5',
+      progressPercent: 0,
+      downloadedBytes: 1536,
+      totalBytes: null,
+      error: null,
+      checkedAt: null,
+      shouldPrompt: true,
+      initialize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      checkForUpdates: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      installUpdate: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      dismissPrompt: vi.fn(),
+    })
+
+    render(<Settings />)
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText('Downloading update... 1.5 KB downloaded')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Downloading update... 0%')).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+})

desktop/src/components/shared/UpdateChecker.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import '@testing-library/jest-dom'
+
+import { UpdateChecker } from './UpdateChecker'
+import { useUpdateStore } from '../../stores/updateStore'
+
+describe('UpdateChecker', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    Object.defineProperty(window, '__TAURI__', {
+      value: {},
+      configurable: true,
+    })
+
+    useUpdateStore.setState({
+      status: 'available',
+      availableVersion: '0.1.5',
+      releaseNotes: '# Claude Code Haha v0.1.5\n\n[Release notes](https://example.com/releases/v0.1.5)',
+      progressPercent: 0,
+      downloadedBytes: 0,
+      totalBytes: null,
+      error: null,
+      checkedAt: null,
+      shouldPrompt: true,
+      initialize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      checkForUpdates: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      installUpdate: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      dismissPrompt: vi.fn(),
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('renders markdown release notes in the update prompt', () => {
+    render(<UpdateChecker />)
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('v0.1.5 available')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Claude Code Haha v0.1.5' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+
+    const link = screen.getByRole('link', { name: 'Release notes' })
+    expect(link).toHaveAttribute('href', 'https://example.com/releases/v0.1.5')
+    expect(link).toHaveAttribute('target', '_blank')
+  })
+
+  it('shows downloaded bytes when the updater does not provide total size', () => {
+    useUpdateStore.setState({
+      status: 'downloading',
+      availableVersion: '0.1.5',
+      releaseNotes: '# Claude Code Haha v0.1.5',
+      progressPercent: 0,
+      downloadedBytes: 1536,
+      totalBytes: null,
+      error: null,
+      checkedAt: null,
+      shouldPrompt: true,
+      initialize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      checkForUpdates: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+      installUpdate: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      dismissPrompt: vi.fn(),
+    })
+
+    render(<UpdateChecker />)
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('Downloading update... 1.5 KB downloaded')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/0%/)).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+})

desktop/src/components/shared/UpdateChecker.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { useEffect } from 'react'
 import { useTranslation } from '../../i18n'
+import { MarkdownRenderer } from '../markdown/MarkdownRenderer'
 import { isTauriRuntime } from '../../lib/desktopRuntime'
 import { useUpdateStore } from '../../stores/updateStore'
+import { formatBytes } from '../../lib/formatBytes'
 
 export function UpdateChecker() {
   const t = useTranslation()
@@ -9,6 +11,8 @@ export function UpdateChecker() {
   const availableVersion = useUpdateStore((s) => s.availableVersion)
   const releaseNotes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.releaseNotes)
   const progressPercent = useUpdateStore((s) => s.progressPercent)
+  const downloadedBytes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.downloadedBytes)
+  const totalBytes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.totalBytes)
   const error = useUpdateStore((s) => s.error)
   const shouldPrompt = useUpdateStore((s) => s.shouldPrompt)
   const initialize = useUpdateStore((s) => s.initialize)
@@ -26,11 +30,15 @@ export function UpdateChecker() {
 
   if (!showPopup) return null
 
+  const hasKnownProgress = typeof totalBytes === 'number' && totalBytes > 0
+  const downloadedText = formatBytes(downloadedBytes)
   const statusText =
     status === 'restarting'
       ? t('update.restarting')
       : status === 'downloading'
-        ? t('update.downloading')
+        ? hasKnownProgress
+          ? t('update.downloading')
+          : t('update.progressBytes', { downloaded: downloadedText })
         : null
 
   return (
@@ -41,22 +49,30 @@ export function UpdateChecker() {
         </p>
 
         {releaseNotes && (
-          <p className="mt-2 text-xs leading-5 text-[var(--color-text-secondary)] whitespace-pre-wrap line-clamp-5">
+          <div className="mt-2 max-h-40 overflow-y-auto rounded-lg border border-[var(--color-border)]/60 bg-[var(--color-surface)]/70 px-3 py-2">
-            {releaseNotes}
+            <MarkdownRenderer
-          </p>
+              content={releaseNotes}
+              className="text-xs leading-5 text-[var(--color-text-secondary)] [&_h1]:mb-2 [&_h1]:text-sm [&_h1]:font-semibold [&_h2]:mb-1.5 [&_h2]:text-xs [&_h2]:font-semibold [&_p]:my-1.5 [&_p]:text-xs [&_p]:leading-5 [&_ul]:my-1.5 [&_ol]:my-1.5"
+            />
+          </div>
         )}
 
         {(status === 'downloading' || status === 'restarting') && (
           <div className="mt-3">
             <div className="h-1.5 bg-[var(--color-surface)] rounded-full overflow-hidden">
-              <div
+              {hasKnownProgress || status === 'restarting' ? (
-                className="h-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)] transition-all duration-300"
+                <div
-                style={{ width: `${Math.min(progressPercent, 100)}%` }}
+                  className="h-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)] transition-all duration-300"
-              />
+                  style={{ width: `${Math.min(progressPercent, 100)}%` }}
+                />
+              ) : (
+                <div className="h-full w-1/3 rounded-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)]/75 animate-pulse" />
+              )}
             </div>
             {statusText && (
               <p className="text-xs text-[var(--color-text-tertiary)] mt-1">
-                {statusText} {status === 'downloading' ? `${progressPercent}%` : ''}
+                {statusText}
+                {status === 'downloading' && hasKnownProgress ? ` ${progressPercent}%` : ''}
               </p>
             )}
           </div>

desktop/src/i18n/locales/en.ts

@@ -625,6 +625,7 @@ export const en = {
   'update.now': 'Update now',
   'update.later': 'Later',
   'update.progress': 'Downloading update... {progress}%',
+  'update.progressBytes': 'Downloading update... {downloaded} downloaded',
   'update.releaseNotes': 'Release Notes',
   'update.restarting': 'Restarting to finish update...',
   'update.upToDate': 'You are up to date on v{version}.',

desktop/src/i18n/locales/zh.ts

@@ -627,6 +627,7 @@ export const zh: Record<TranslationKey, string> = {
   'update.now': '立即更新',
   'update.later': '稍后',
   'update.progress': '正在下载更新... {progress}%',
+  'update.progressBytes': '正在下载更新... 已下载 {downloaded}',
   'update.releaseNotes': '更新说明',
   'update.restarting': '正在重启以完成更新...',
   'update.upToDate': '当前已是最新版本 v{version}。',

desktop/src/lib/formatBytes.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+export function formatBytes(bytes: number): string {
+  if (!Number.isFinite(bytes) || bytes <= 0) return '0 B'
+
+  const units = ['B', 'KB', 'MB', 'GB', 'TB']
+  let value = bytes
+  let unitIndex = 0
+
+  while (value >= 1024 && unitIndex < units.length - 1) {
+    value /= 1024
+    unitIndex += 1
+  }
+
+  const maximumFractionDigits = value >= 10 || unitIndex === 0 ? 0 : 1
+
+  return `${new Intl.NumberFormat(undefined, {
+    maximumFractionDigits,
+  }).format(value)} ${units[unitIndex]}`
+}

desktop/src/pages/Settings.tsx

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import { ComputerUseSettings } from './ComputerUseSettings'
 import { useUIStore, type SettingsTab } from '../stores/uiStore'
 import { ClaudeOfficialLogin } from '../components/settings/ClaudeOfficialLogin'
 import { useUpdateStore } from '../stores/updateStore'
+import { formatBytes } from '../lib/formatBytes'
 
 export function Settings() {
   const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<SettingsTab>('providers')
@@ -1279,6 +1280,8 @@ function AboutSettings() {
   const availableVersion = useUpdateStore((s) => s.availableVersion)
   const releaseNotes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.releaseNotes)
   const progressPercent = useUpdateStore((s) => s.progressPercent)
+  const downloadedBytes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.downloadedBytes)
+  const totalBytes = useUpdateStore((s) => s.totalBytes)
   const error = useUpdateStore((s) => s.error)
   const checkedAt = useUpdateStore((s) => s.checkedAt)
   const checkForUpdates = useUpdateStore((s) => s.checkForUpdates)
@@ -1307,11 +1310,15 @@ function AboutSettings() {
         })
       : null
 
+  const hasKnownProgress = typeof totalBytes === 'number' && totalBytes > 0
+  const downloadedText = formatBytes(downloadedBytes)
   const updateDescription =
     updateStatus === 'checking'
       ? t('update.checking')
       : updateStatus === 'downloading'
-        ? t('update.progress', { progress: String(progressPercent) })
+        ? hasKnownProgress
+          ? t('update.progress', { progress: String(progressPercent) })
+          : t('update.progressBytes', { downloaded: downloadedText })
         : updateStatus === 'restarting'
           ? t('update.restarting')
           : updateStatus === 'available' && availableVersion
@@ -1400,22 +1407,33 @@ function AboutSettings() {
           {(updateStatus === 'downloading' || updateStatus === 'restarting') && (
             <div className="mt-3">
               <div className="h-1.5 bg-[var(--color-surface-container-low)] rounded-full overflow-hidden">
-                <div
+                {hasKnownProgress || updateStatus === 'restarting' ? (
-                  className="h-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)] transition-all duration-300"
+                  <div
-                  style={{ width: `${Math.min(progressPercent, 100)}%` }}
+                    className="h-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)] transition-all duration-300"
-                />
+                    style={{ width: `${Math.min(progressPercent, 100)}%` }}
+                  />
+                ) : (
+                  <div className="h-full w-1/3 rounded-full bg-[var(--color-text-accent)]/75 animate-pulse" />
+                )}
               </div>
+              {!hasKnownProgress && updateStatus === 'downloading' && downloadedBytes > 0 && (
+                <p className="mt-1 text-xs text-[var(--color-text-tertiary)]">
+                  {downloadedText}
+                </p>
+              )}
             </div>
           )}
 
           {releaseNotes && availableVersion && (
-            <div className="mt-3 rounded-lg bg-[var(--color-surface-container-low)] px-3 py-2">
+            <div className="mt-3 rounded-lg bg-[var(--color-surface-container-low)] px-3 py-3">
               <div className="text-[11px] uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-[var(--color-text-tertiary)]">
                 {t('update.releaseNotes')}
               </div>
-              <p className="mt-1 text-xs leading-5 text-[var(--color-text-secondary)] whitespace-pre-wrap">
+              <MarkdownRenderer
-                {releaseNotes}
+                content={releaseNotes}
-              </p>
+                variant="document"
+                className="mt-2 text-[13px] leading-6 text-[var(--color-text-secondary)] [&_h1]:text-lg [&_h2]:text-base [&_h3]:text-sm [&_p]:text-[13px] [&_p]:leading-6"
+              />
             </div>
           )}
 

desktop/src/stores/updateStore.test.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ describe('updateStore', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     check.mockReset()
     relaunch.mockReset()
+    window.localStorage.clear()
     Object.defineProperty(window, '__TAURI_INTERNALS__', {
       configurable: true,
       value: {},
@@ -41,6 +42,53 @@ describe('updateStore', () => {
     expect(useUpdateStore.getState().shouldPrompt).toBe(true)
   })
 
+  it('does not re-prompt for the same version after dismissing once', async () => {
+    check.mockResolvedValue({
+      version: '0.2.0',
+      body: 'Bug fixes and performance improvements',
+      close: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    })
+
+    vi.resetModules()
+    const { useUpdateStore } = await import('./updateStore')
+
+    await useUpdateStore.getState().checkForUpdates()
+    useUpdateStore.getState().dismissPrompt()
+
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().shouldPrompt).toBe(false)
+    expect(window.localStorage.getItem('cc-haha-dismissed-update-version')).toBe('0.2.0')
+
+    await useUpdateStore.getState().checkForUpdates({ silent: true })
+
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().status).toBe('available')
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().availableVersion).toBe('0.2.0')
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().shouldPrompt).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('prompts again when a newer version is available after dismissing an older one', async () => {
+    check
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        version: '0.2.0',
+        body: 'Bug fixes and performance improvements',
+        close: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      })
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        version: '0.3.0',
+        body: 'New release',
+        close: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      })
+
+    vi.resetModules()
+    const { useUpdateStore } = await import('./updateStore')
+
+    await useUpdateStore.getState().checkForUpdates()
+    useUpdateStore.getState().dismissPrompt()
+    await useUpdateStore.getState().checkForUpdates({ silent: true })
+
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().availableVersion).toBe('0.3.0')
+    expect(useUpdateStore.getState().shouldPrompt).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   it('computes download progress from content length and relaunches after install', async () => {
     const downloadAndInstall = vi.fn(async (onEvent?: (event: unknown) => void) => {
       onEvent?.({ event: 'Started', data: { contentLength: 200 } })

desktop/src/stores/updateStore.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ type CheckOptions = {
   silent?: boolean
 }
 
+const DISMISSED_UPDATE_VERSION_KEY = 'cc-haha-dismissed-update-version'
+
 type UpdateStore = {
   status: UpdateStatus
   availableVersion: string | null
@@ -34,6 +36,30 @@ type UpdateStore = {
 let pendingUpdate: Update | null = null
 let startupCheckPromise: Promise<void> | null = null
 
+function readDismissedUpdateVersion(): string | null {
+  if (typeof window === 'undefined') return null
+
+  try {
+    return window.localStorage.getItem(DISMISSED_UPDATE_VERSION_KEY)
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+function writeDismissedUpdateVersion(version: string | null) {
+  if (typeof window === 'undefined') return
+
+  try {
+    if (version) {
+      window.localStorage.setItem(DISMISSED_UPDATE_VERSION_KEY, version)
+    } else {
+      window.localStorage.removeItem(DISMISSED_UPDATE_VERSION_KEY)
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Ignore storage write failures.
+  }
+}
+
 async function setPendingUpdate(next: Update | null) {
   const previous = pendingUpdate
   pendingUpdate = next
@@ -93,6 +119,7 @@ export const useUpdateStore = create<UpdateStore>((set, get) => ({
       const checkedAt = Date.now()
 
       if (!update) {
+        writeDismissedUpdateVersion(null)
         set((state) => ({
           ...state,
           status: 'up-to-date',
@@ -108,6 +135,9 @@ export const useUpdateStore = create<UpdateStore>((set, get) => ({
         return null
       }
 
+      const dismissedVersion = readDismissedUpdateVersion()
+      const shouldPrompt = dismissedVersion !== update.version
+
       set((state) => ({
         ...state,
         status: 'available',
@@ -118,7 +148,7 @@ export const useUpdateStore = create<UpdateStore>((set, get) => ({
         totalBytes: null,
         checkedAt,
         error: null,
-        shouldPrompt: true,
+        shouldPrompt,
       }))
       return update
     } catch (error) {
@@ -160,6 +190,7 @@ export const useUpdateStore = create<UpdateStore>((set, get) => ({
     }))
 
     try {
+      writeDismissedUpdateVersion(null)
       const { relaunch } = await import('@tauri-apps/plugin-process')
       let totalBytes: number | null = null
       let downloadedBytes = 0
@@ -213,6 +244,7 @@ export const useUpdateStore = create<UpdateStore>((set, get) => ({
   },
 
   dismissPrompt: () => {
+    writeDismissedUpdateVersion(get().availableVersion)
     set((state) => ({
       ...state,
       shouldPrompt: false,